Demon Stepmother
by Shmanda
Summary: Inuyasha agrees to hide in Kagome's time on the night of the new moon. Kagome thinks it's time for him to relax. He finds himself wishing for his demon powers more than ever when an enemy from his youth surfaces. PG13 for some language. Romantic sub-plot.
1. Enemy from the Past

Disclaimer: Well, everyone seems to have one... so here goes... I am Shmanda. Not Rumiko Takahashi. Rumiko Takahashi is the person who made these characters up, not me. So there.  
  
Spoiler Alert: There is a mention of something that happens in the second movie. Kind of a spoiler. The timeline for this is close to episode 130 but it doesn't really matter. The only reason the timing matters is that they belive their jorney is nearing its end.  
  
---  
  
"Keep him busy, Souta, I have to study!" With that, Kagome flung her schoolbag over her shoulder and locked herself in her room. Inuyasha, who had been standing in the hallway, flopped down to the floor in front of her door and folded his arms.  
  
"I have some video games we can play," Souta gushed, "and you can listen to my CDs, or we could watch some anime, or..."  
  
"Feh!" exclaimed Inuyasha, causing a depressed look to form on Souta's face. Inuyasha had been in a bad mood all day, and the last thing he needed was to be babysat by an 8-year-old. That morning, Kagome convinced him to return to her time with her. Naraku was out for blood, and Inuyasha was going to become human at sunset. Someone like Sesshomaru, however detestable, would never attack a half-demon in his weakened state but the honorless Naraku would sieze the chance. Inuyasha wasn't normally one to run from a fight, but Kagome's gentle persuasion was hard to resist.  
  
Souta seemed as though he would start crying any minute. He tugged on Inuyasha's pants and then thought better of it, folding his arms in a gesture of frustration. Luckily, Kagome's mom stepped in with some ramen. "Hey, you two, why don't you have something to eat?"  
  
Inuyasha's mood always improved after a good meal. Even Mrs. Higurashi knew that little trick. Souta wasn't much different. In fact, Souta and Inuyasha seemed to be very much the same at times. Inuyasha resigned himself to the couch and ate while Souta flipped through the TV channels with the remote. "Put on something with music," Inuyasha mumbled through his full mouth of noodles. Eager to please, Souta put on a popular rock band's video.   
  
Spitting out some noodles, Inuyasha exclaimed "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?". Souta jumped and dropped the remote, cringing back toward the TV. "Wh-what? What's wrong?," he asked warily. "They're YOUKAI! I don't BELIVE you people let YOUKAI live here! Kagome said there were no youkai left in her era!" Inuyasha was thoroughly confused by this new development. Souta was equally baffled, not understanding why Inuyasha thought they were youkai.  
  
A loud sigh came from Kagome's room. Next, a door slam. Two sets of eyes went to the stairs as they braced themselves...   
  
"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO STUDY WITH YOU TWO MAKING ALL THIS NOISE?!?" said the voice from the top of the stairs.  
  
Inuyasha flew up the steps in one leap, then perched himself on the top of the banister, looking straight at her face. "You didn't tell me you had youkai in your era. Why?" Kagome had no idea what was going on. She looked down and saw Souta pointing at the TV. "Oh, you mean you saw something on the TV? There are a lot of things on TV that aren't real. I thought I explained this to you Inuyasha."  
  
"I'm not TALKING about THAT. Damnit Kagome, I'm not a CHILD. I'm saying I KNOW that woman! She's Sesshomaru's mother! She's one of the most dangerous youkai to ever take a human form." He pointed frantically to the image on the screen. Kagome's eyes slowly shifted between the TV and Inuyasha's face. She examined the woman's perfectly bleached hair, flawless complexion, and white fur coat. "So she's wearing fur and she colored her hair, that doesn't make her a youkai, Inuyasha."  
  
"No! I'm sure. I'd never forget that face. She..." He paused and caught his breath while a distant look crept across his face. "She's evil. She shouldn't be allowed to live in this world." Kagome looked over his shoulder and motioned Souta to leave them alone. Her brother left the room after gathering up the leftover ramen. * "Sit down here, tell me about her. Could she have been alive all of this time? Is that even possible?"  
  
Kagome sat on the couch and patted the seat next to her, but Inuyasha insisted on pacing back and forth in front of the TV. He was silent and she waited. She knew he'd open up eventually; that he needed a couple of minutes to form the carefully selected sentences. As usual, he'd keep the whole story from her in an effort to keep his feelings private despite the fact that she could always sense his emotions. He continued to pace with one claw tapping Tetsusiaga's hilt.   
  
"Allright, Kagome. Fine. When I was young, after my mother died, Sesshomaru sort of... watched me. He followed me. I guess he didn't kill me because I was too young to defend myself, but he always kept track of where I went, even when I tried to cover my tracks. But his demon sense of smell was always stronger than mine so he always found me." He flopped down to the floor and sat indian-style, facing Kagome but looking at the carpet.   
  
"It really pissed me off but there was nothing I could do about it except train harder so I could learn to fight him and win. But one day he came and he wasn't alone. He had an inuyoukai woman and two inuyoukai men with him. I figured they had to be relatives since there weren't too many left from Father's lands after the war." He was nervously clenching and unclenching his fists as he spoke.  
  
"What the hell was I supposed to do about THAT anyway? I was pinned to that fucking tree. Sesshomaru's still pissed that I didn't show up, not that he would have even wanted me there representing our father if I had." Inuyasha was growling just at the thought. Kagome sat on the floor next to him. "You would have helped your family if you could have gone, even if they never accepted you. But that's in the past, you can't worry about it. What about this woman?"  
  
"Oh, right. It turned out she was Sesshomaru's mother, a full pure-bred dog demon. Father controlled the Western Lands then, and - according to Mother - he was forced to take her as his mate to uphold his authority. After a while though Father met Mother and, well, here I am." Kagome let out a little chuckle at that one. Inuyasha seemed more relaxed now, so she welcomed the opportunity to squeeze one of his furry ears.  
  
"AAAGH you know I hate that!" He protested in vain as he choked back a laugh. "Why can't I tell YOU to sit? Just once, I'd love to..." He stopped himself, suddenly getting back into his serious mood. 'I'd just love to hear him finish that sentence', Kagome thought mischeviously. "Go on. So she hated you because your father left her for your mother?"  
  
"Yeah. Well, dog demons, they don't really mate for life. But she was still pretty pissed. She was royalty among the packs, and my father hated her." 'They don't mate for life?', Kagome heard. She mulled over that thought for a good minute before shaking it off.   
  
"So she and two of her guards, along with that bastard Sesshomaru thought they would take out their frustrations on me." He pulled up his sleeve. "You know my body heals much faster than a human's. Well..." Kagome noticed the faint outline of a scar going up his forearm. "You didn't heal there?", she asked worriedly. He nodded and looked away.  
  
"Yurzska. That was her name. Every night for two weeks she locked me in a cage with youkai she had under her control. She made me fight them. I didn't ever see Sesshomaru or the two dog demons except for the first night. But her, I saw her every day. I tried to fight but I was no match for my opponents. She would take me out of the cage in the mornings and leave me outside. By nightfall I was healed and it would start all over again."  
  
"Oh, Inuyasha! That's Horrible!" Kagome held his hands in hers and tried to find the right words to say. "How did you ever get away?"  
  
"She got tired of it I guess. I don't know. I KNOW that woman on the TV is her. Those other two demons, that was them with her on the TV."  
  
"So you're saying it's possible for youkai to live that long?" Kagome had always been curious about the average youkai life expectancy but had never had an occasion to ask about it before. "Sure." Inuyasha answered quickly as if you asked him whether he wanted more ramen. He seemed confused as to why Kagome even asked.   
  
"Well, what about you, how long will you live?" she carefully questioned. "I don't know. If I manage not to get myself killed I guess I'll start getting old after 100 more years. But full demons live as long as their hearts, or whatever they use for their center, are safe. That's why a lot of demons take out their own hearts and hide them. But that won't work for..." "... a hanyou. I'll still be old and weak like a human someday." His face crinkled at the thought.  
  
"So how come there aren't more youkai running around in my time?" Kagome wondered. "It can't be possible that they've lived among us for this long. That woman on the TV, she is the bass player for Young Love. Those guys with her are in the band too. They're famous. They wear a lot of makeup. There's just no WAY they could be over five-hundre..."  
  
"Of course it's possible you idiot. Now can I go rip her throat out or what? Where is she?" Inuyasha jumped up and started sniffing the TV. Kagome sighed loudly. "What? Where is she? Tell me!"   
  
"You aren't going to find her or the rest of the band here. Famous people like that are travel in limos, er, really big cars, and they are guarded." "Feh! I can handle any guards!" Inuyasha tugged on Tetsusiaga's handle. Kagome stopped him, "no no, they are also followed everywhere by cameras, you know those things that make the pictures come on the TV? Well YOU would be on TV if you went after them, and we can't have that. Why don't you just fight her in your own time?"  
  
"Leave me alone! What the hell would you know? She was supposed to be dead!" Inuyasha screamed as he stormed back toward the shrine. Kagome tryed to stop him. "Get back here! You know you can't go back there tonight! C'mon, she's been alive for a long time, it can wait until tomorrow. Besides, shouldn't you be focusing on Naraku right now?" Inuyasha continued walking, but at a slower pace. She caught up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Please. Just wait until morning. C'mon, why don't we go do something? It's still early and I can take you anywhere while you look like that. Where do you want to go? A movie? Shopping?"  
  
Inuyasha looked at her and supressed a low growl. He was clearly agitated but he knew she was right. There was no way he could take on Naraku or even Yurzska without his demon powers. Kagome gave him a warm smile, sensing that all he needed was a break from fighting and something to distract his mind for the evening. "Fine, whatever you want to do.", he said, rolling his eyes.  
  
---  
  
* The "sit" word Kagome uses here is the normal word used for humans. There are two different words in Japanese. Oswari is for a dog and will activate the rosary. The other word (whatever it is) won't.  
  
Notes: This is my first fanfic. I didn't know what to do about chapter lengths, so they are going to be kind of random. Whenever the scene changes or I want to make time pass I will switch to a new chapter so that's how it's going to work. Thanks for reading! ^_^ 


	2. Decisions

"Let me get my purse, I'll be right back. Why don't you leave Tetsusiaga home, ne? We wouldn't want you getting arrested." She stretched out her hand. "Arrested?" "Yeah, you know, by police - authorities - oh, well you aren't allowed to carry weapons around in my era OK?" "You mean they can stop me just for carrying my SWORD? What kind of people make these STUPID god damned rules?!?  
  
"Inuyasha. C'mon. Just cooperate, go by my rules for ONE night. I want you to see what my world is really like outside of this shrine and my school. It'll be fun!" Kagome truly hoped to get Inuyasha's mind off of Naraku and now this new problem. She looked toward the sword and was caught off guard when suddenly his arm was around her and he was climbing up the side of the house toward her room. "Heyyy! We have stairs for that!" He ignored her and laughed. "Ha, I don't need stairs, even as a human! Go get your stuff." He handed her Tetsusiaga and she climbed in the open window.   
  
Inuyasha hopped back down to the ground and sat on the outside steps, waiting for her to return. He closed his eyes and listened to the strange sounds of traffic and music coming from the street. It was all so different. Time had changed so much. But Yurzska was still alive and unchanged. He had killed her himself, with his bare claws, or so he thought. That was the first time he ever used the Sankontessou attack.   
  
While deep in thought, Inuyasha didn't notice the young girl with the wavy hair that walked past him. She did a double-take upon noticing his red robe, and then realized he was, in fact, a very good looking human boy. "Um, excuse me? Are you Kagome's friend too?"   
  
"Huh?!?" Inuyasha was startled. His sense of smell was so dull that he hadn't even noticed the girl. He didn't know what to say, figuring that Kagome would be mad at him no matter what story he made up. "Hi, I'm Ayumi. I go to school with Kagome." Ayumi stuck her hand out. "Um, hi." Inuyasha didn't know what she was doing with her hand. In a panic, he looked behind her for any signs of Kagome. Ayumi put her hand back down. "So are you from out of town?"  
  
Luckily, he heard the door slam and knew he would be saved. Kagome saw Ayumi and ran over to greet her, worried that Inuyasha made up some wild story about himself. "Hi, Ayumi! What's up? I didn't expect to see you tonight!", she said in her sweetest voice. "Hi. I thought I'd come by and drop off this week's notes. I thought you were still in the hospital." Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at Kagome and tried to take a step backward. "And why don't you introduce me to your silent friend here?", Ayumi said with a smirk.   
  
Relieved by the 'silent' comment, Kagome said, "Where are my manners? Ayumi, this is my... f-friend Inuyasha. And I am feeling MUCH better. I was planning on going to school on Monday. Thanks for bringing these by." Kagome took the notes from Ayumi. "Nice to meet you, Inuyasha. Hey, Kagome is he..."   
  
Mrs. Higurashi interrupted her. "Oh hello Ayumi! I'm glad someone is still concerned about Kagome's schoolwork. I'll just take these back into the house for you, OK honey?" she grabbed the notebook and glanced at Inuyasha. "Could you be a dear and help me carry some bags upstairs?" Inuyasha got the hint. "Sure!" he said as he followed her inside, giving Kagome a worried glance.   
  
Ayumi felt like she would explode if she didn't get an answer. "C'mon Kagome! Fess up!!! Is that him?!? Is that your boyfriend the JERK?" Kagome blushed. "Well like I said, he's NOT my boyfriend. We're just friends. But yeah, that's the jerk.", she said as she let out a giggle. Ayumi laughed. "Well, now I can see why you put up with him." "You're terrible!", Kagome declared.  
  
"This is just PERFECT! Yuri won tickets from the radio station to the rock festival tonight. I was hoping you could sneak away if you were feeling better, so you could go with Yuri and me. But there IS an extra ticket! I was going to invite Houjo to be your date buuut..." Inuyasha was walking toward them. "So, Kagome, are we going somewhere or what? Because if we aren't I'm just going to eat some more ra..."  
  
Kagome shot him a dirty look. She would have been able to get rid of Ayumi if he had just stayed inside a little longer. She made a mental note to 'sit' him as soon as she had the chance. Ayumi was determined to get them to go together so she could learn more about this mysterious guy. "Hey, Inuyasha, what kind of music do you like? Do you want to come to a free concert tonight?" "Sure, whatever, I mean whatever Kagome wants to do.", he replied. "OK it's settled! I'll have Yuri come back for you at 8." With that, Ayumi dashed down the stairs on her way home. Kagome's eyes stayed focused on Ayumi until she was out of site. Then she turned to Inuyasha and quietly said, "SIT!". He went flying to the ground. "OW GOD DAMNIT KAGOME WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!?" Inuyasha stood up, rubbing his elbows. "I was NICE. I didn't say it too loudly because I didn't want you to really get hurt. But you shouldn't have agreed to that."  
  
"I only said I'd do what you wanted. Jeez." Inuyasha sat back down on the steps with a thump. Kagome sat next to him, checking her watch. It was only 6:45pm. "Well, I guess we're going to the festival. That should be fun. It's been a while since I did something fun in my own time." A sad look crept across Inuyasha's face. He seemed to be studying her. "What's wrong Inuyasha?", she asked. He took a minute to figure out the right words to say. "Are you sad that you have to spend so much time in my era? With me?"   
  
"No! Of course not! I was just saying... it's just something different, that's all. I have friends here too you know. That doesn't make my friends in your era any less special. I just spend so much time away from this home that I'm not sure which era is 'home' at all." This was the first time she had said it out loud, to anyone. Living two lives was tough on her, but she tried not to mention it.   
  
Inuyasha's expression only got darker upon hearing this. "When we find the last shards, you'll come back here, and the well won't work anymore. I'll..." He didn't know what to say. They were so close to finishing what they set out do, completing the Shikon no Tama. He wanted to tell her he would miss her, her scent, her courage. He wanted to say that Sango and Miroku and especially Shippo would never be the same after she left. He really wanted to ask her to stay with him when it was all over, but he couldn't say any of those things. Not after what happened with Kikyo. Kagome had her own life to live in a world so wildly different from his. There was no way she would give that all up. He didn't know how to say all of that without saying it out loud, so he just put his arm around her shoulders and brought her close.   
  
Kagome's heart was beating so fast she thought she might have a heart attack. What was he trying to say? When she felt him pulling her close, she began to get worried. Of course she wanted him to kiss her. She loved him. If things were only that simple.   
  
She remembered the time she kissed him, to awaken him from Kaguya's spell and stop him from transforming into a full demon. At the time it seemed natural. It was the only thing she could do to get through to him. And he kissed her back. He kissed her like he meant it, with a passion that she'd remember her whole life. But that was just the passion of the moment. It was arguably the most dangerous situation they had ever been in. That kiss didn't change anything; Inuyasha was the same unbearable jerk he had always been just an hour later. She accepted the fact that his heart still belonged to Kikyo, even though it seemed Kikyo was gone from this world.  
  
Inuyasha broke the silence, whispering "I'll miss you." He gently smoothed her hair and she let her hand wander to his. She played with a strand of his black hair and it occurred to her that he only said things like this when he was in his human form. She was surprised to hear him talk about the future. Usually he was focused only on their next move, the next plan to finish Naraku. "I'm here with you now. Don't worry about what will happen. It's not like you."  
  
"What are you saying? That I'm different when I'm human?" He looked down at her with a hurt expression. "Well, yes. I want to know your feelings, but I know not to ask. Sometimes I'm afraid of the answer. But sometimes, when you're in this form, you open up to me a little. It's kind of nice."  
  
"I guess I just... I-I FEEL different. I feel like I belong. I'm one thing, not half of both. I would never hurt you, but at times like this I wonder if my demon blood will make me do something stupid. So I tell you while I have the chance."   
  
"You know you can always talk to me. I don't care what color your hair is or whether you have amber or brown eyes. That's all that's different. It's all physical. I don't know why you think you can't have feelings as a hanyo. And I know that you are as stubborn as me. Nothing, including your demon blood, will make you change your mind."  
  
"Kagome, how can you trust me? After everything I've done?"  
  
"I..." She wanted to tell him she loved him. That seemed to sum it all up. But she couldn't put that burden on him. He loved Kikyo, not her. Her saying that would only complicate things and make him feel bad. She certainly didn't want his pity. "You've saved my life more times than I can count. I owe you trust, and you've earned it. You're a good person, whether or not you want to believe it."  
  
"At least someone thinks so." Inuyasha moved his hand away from her hair. He picked up her hand and put up against his, comparing them. "Tonight, I'll be like you. I'll go and see what you strange humans do for fun around here. But tomorrow..."  
  
Kagome smiled. "Don't worry about tomorrow. Yuri will be here soon. Listen, you've never been in a car before, so I just want you to sit down and follow my lead. Remember, you are a NORMAL guy from MY era tonight! You go to school in the ***** district, and change the subject if they start getting too nosy. OK?" She sat up and faced him, trying to make sure he was really willing to behave in front of her friends.  
  
"Yeah yeah yeah. I'll try not to kill anyone." A smirk crept across his face. "Well, I can't promise anything if I see that Ho-jo guy, but I'll be nice to everybody else." She playfully punched his shoulder. "C'mon, I'm serious!", she giggled. He stood and picked her up by the waist, setting her down on the step above his. "Hey! Willya stop that? They're going to think you're a martial arts champ or something. Ooooh, that's a great story actually. We'll tell them you study martial arts, and that you only have a short vacation from school. That's perfect."  
  
"Ok, whatever. Hey, by the way, why did your friend ask you if I was the 'jerk'? What have you told her about me?" Kagome blushed. "You heard that?" Inuyasha stared at her. "Of course. What do you think I went deaf too?" "My friends are wierd. They make stuff up, don't worry about it." Kagome couldn't think of anything better to say. Inuyasha laughed. "Suuure."  
  
Kagome looked behind him for any sign of Yuri's car. She checked her watch - 7:40pm. Still a few minutes to spare. She sighed, worried about not only that night but about everything Inuyasha said. She would have to stop going to the Sengoku Jidai after the Shikon no Tama was destroyed. Inuyasha was eye-level with her and had that look of worry on his face again. He said, "Don't worry about tomorrow, right?". She smiled and took his hands. "You're right. Let's go tell Mama where we're going OK?" 


	3. Impressions

Yuri arrived promptly at 8pm, with Ayumi in his passenger seat. Ayumi brought her digital camera. She took a snapshot of Kagome and Inuyasha before they could even see it. "Awww, that's so cute!" Inuyasha winced at the flash and Kagome faked a smile. "Uh, huh." Kagome climbed in the back seat while Inuyasha looked warily at the little sports car. "C'mon", she whispered to him while patting the seat. He ducked his head and climbed in. He fidgeted the entire way to the festival.   
  
Kagome decided it would be safer for her to do all of the talking. "Thanks for taking us Yuri. We really appreciate it." Yuri's eyes went to the rear-view mirror. "No problem. Ayumi and I were really looking forward to getting to know Inuyasha here." Ayumi continued his thought, "Yeah, you've got to be such an understanding person, what with all of Kagome's illnesses."  
  
Inuyasha chucked. "Yep, that's me. I put up with a lot of -" Kagome drove her elbow into his side. "I mean, well, I don't get out very much either. I have to spend a lot of time practicing." He smiled at Kagome, proud that he remembered his cover story. Yumi asked "Practicing? What do you do at your school?" Kagome answered for Inuyasha. "Inuyasha studies martial arts. He's really dedicated. He wants to be in the World Tournament someday - don't you Inuyasha?" She nodded with a rasied eyebrow. "Yes. Someday.", he replied.   
  
Yumi, realizing that he finally hit on a 'guy subject', started grilling Inuyasha. "What techniques have you learned? Which style do you use? Is it a good school? My parents made me take a Tai Chi class when I was little but that was so boring!" Inuyasha looked at Kagome, who shrugged. He figured he'd just have to remember the name of one of those human fighting styles from his era.   
  
He tapped his finger on his chin and looked out the window. "Well, right now are working on techniques from the Sengoku Jidai. Sensai thinks we should know what our ancestors knew before we try to do anything new. We're going over katchu bujutsu now."  
  
Kagome was totally clueless as to what Inuyasha and Yumi were talking about. She was happy Inuyasha at least said something that sounded intelligent, but wondered whether he made it up or heard it somewhere. Yumi, on the other hand, was impressed. "Wow, you really know your stuff. You'll have to show me some techniques." "Sure.", Inuyasha replied happily.  
  
Ayumi was sick of being left out. She wasn't one to keep quiet for long, and she could tell Kagome was getting bored too. But she had to ask, "You have such an unusual name. Does it have any special meaning to your family?" Inuyasha really got a kick out of that question. He contemplated telling them all about his evil dog demon family and wondered how they would react to him in his natural form. He managed to restrain his laughter enough to say "Oh, my mom liked dogs. A lot." 


	4. Vulnerable

Yuri and Inuyasha decided to get sodas for the girls at the concession stand. Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's hand as he was following Yuri and put money in it. She whispered "you'll need this" and then loudly said "Hurry back!".  
  
Ayumi started up as soon as their backs were turned. "Well well, a fighter. I know you said he was violent but you didn't say it was because he's a martial arts champ. Boy oh boy Kagome, Houjo is going to be so jealous when he finds out!"  
  
"What do you mean, WHEN he finds out?" Kagome asked worriedly. "You'll see what I mean soon enough." Ayumi giggled and then caught a glimpse of Eri and Yuka. "Eri! Yuka!" She said as she ran toward them. "Hey, wait! What did you m-"   
  
"Higurashi! How nice to see you! You look so well! Here, do you have a soda yet, let me get you one!" Kagome's first thought was 'oh-no'. Ayumi must have told Houjo she would be there. How could she? "Um, hello Houjo, nice to see you too."   
  
"YES, she already HAS a soda!" Inuyasha moved in between the two and stuck his elbow in Houjo's chest while handing Kagome her drink. Yuri mumbled something about Ayumi and walked off. "Lets go, Kagome!" Inuyasha growled. He started dragging her away until he realized he didn't know where he was going. "Um, Houjo-kun, this is my friend Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is my friend Houjo. We go to school together."  
  
Houjo, despite seeing Inuyasha who had clearly come with Kagome, was elated. "Yes, Higurashi and I are friends! Sometimes I tutor her so she can catch up on all of the work she missed when she was sick." "So you two spend a lot of time together, huh?" Inuyasha said with a scowl. "Yep I see her all of the time", Houjo said with a smile. Inuyasha clenched his fist. "Uuuh, Inuyasha, why don't we go find her seats? Ayumi and Yuri should be back soon, OK?" She grabbed Inuyasha's hand and squeezed hard. "Nice seeing you again Houjo-kun!" she said as she dragged Inuyasha back to the seating area.   
  
"Inuyasha, please, try to be civil! He's not a demon you know. If you punch him he WON'T get back up!" Kagome said as she looked down at the ticked, trying to find their seat numbers. "Yeah, I know. It's just that that guy is such an asshole." "Please!" They found their seats and made a comfortable place. Kagome glanced down at the program guide she was handed on the way in. She didn't even know what bands were supposed to play. The first band looked decent. She'd never heard of the second band, and the third band... "Oh NO! Young Love is playing here tonight!!!"   
  
"Isn't that the band that was on TV today?" asked a nervous Inuyasha. "Yeah, but please don't do anything - you'll see, you'll know it isn't them when they come on stage OK? They're just normal people!" "Damnit! We have to go back to your house. We have to get Tetsusiaga. I should have NEVER let you convince me to leave it there! How the hell am I supposed to protect you without it?" "Inuyasha, remember why you are here in my era tonight? The sword is of no use to you tonight. We'll find some excuse to leave early if you want but you just have to be a normal teenager tonight. You promised!", Kagome pleaded. Inuyasha was pacing back and forth in the aisle, not knowing what to do. Should he interfere? What if Yurzska tries to do something to the crowd? How will he protect Kagome in this weak form? Two voices came from behind them, in unison: "Kagome!!!" It was Eri and Yuka, followed by Akumi and Yuri. Akumi introduced everyone, including Inuyasha. "Ooooh, kawaiii!!!", Yuka whispered in Kagome's ear. Kagome blushed. At this point, Inuyasha was socially exhausted. He couldn't force one more fake laugh or be nice to one more stranger bumping into him in the crowded area. All he could do was think about Yurzska and wonder why she chose this disguise.   
  
Yuri and Akumi took their seats next to Kagome and Inuyasha. They waved goodbye to Eri and Yuka, who were sitting a few rows back. The show was starting.  
  



End file.
